At least 10,000 children have been killed or injured since the onset of the conflict in Yemen in 2015, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
"The Yemen conflict has just hit another shameful milestone: 10,000 children have been killed or maimed since fighting started in March 2015. That's the equivalent of four children every day," Elder said.
Elder explained that he returned on Monday from a mission to Yemen where he witnessed scores of children suffering from the combined effects of the violent conflict, economic devastation, shattered services and underfunded United Nations response.
Elder pointed out that more than 11 million children in Yemen are in need of humanitarian aid, while 400,000 children suffer from severe malnutrition.
"UNICEF urgently needs more than USD 235 million to continue its life-saving work in Yemen until mid-2022. Otherwise, the agency will be forced to scale down or stop its vital assistance for vulnerable children," he said.
Elder also urged the parties to the conflict in Yemen and actors with influence over them to halt the fighting and stop adding children to the list of those killed and maimed. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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